Blake Bjorklund season preview

Blake Bjorklund is the next rising star in the NASCAR world. His
determination and potential have led him to the cusp of big-time auto
racing. As the first development driver for Haas CNC Racing, Bjorklund
now has every resource imaginable to ...

Blake Bjorklund is the next rising star in the NASCAR world. His
determination and potential have led him to the cusp of big-time auto
racing. As the first development driver for Haas CNC Racing, Bjorklund
now has every resource imaginable to succeed on his next racing frontier,
the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS). He will compete in the first
12 races of the NCTS schedule in his attempt to build for the future.

A native Minnesotan, Bjorklund worked on his family's farm and
raced snowmobiles at an early age. By the time he strapped himself
inside of his first Three Quarter Scale (TQS) late model stock car it
became evident that he preferred pavement over snow. After garnering
championships and awards during the 2001 and 2002 seasons of the TQS Late
Model Series, Bjorklund was ready to take the next step of his career.

In 2003 Bjorklund moved into the ultra-competitive world of late model
stock car racing. He competed at I-94 Raceway in Sauk Centre, Minn. and
Fergus Falls (Minn.) Raceway. By the end of the season Bjorklund had
captured the "Rookie of the Year" title at both tracks while
taking home three feature wins.

2004 saw Bjorklund take another big step as he took on the challenge of
the Yellow Book Midwest All-Star Racing Series (MARS). Bjorklund captured
eight feature wins as well as the prestigious "Rookie of the Year"
honors. In addition, Bjorklund was the "Youngest Driver" in addition to
the "First Minnesota Driver" to win a MARS race." After exceeding his
goals and with the MARS season complete, Bjorklund turned his attention
to the remaining American Speed Association (ASA) races, where he scored
a top-12 finish.

The 2005 season saw Bjorklund back in the MARS Series and running up
front. He also competed in several super late model races around the
Midwest. While he admits that he didn't race as much as he would
have liked, this short season ignited Bjorklund's passion for
racing and led him to his "watershed" year.

2006 proved to be the year that would define Bjorklund as an
exceptionally talented driver. While competing in the ARCA/REMAX Series
he garnered his typical "Rookie of the Year" honors while
finishing fifth in points. His stats for the year were one win, six
top-fives, 10 top-tens and two Pork Pole Awards. His victory came at the
Salem (Ind.) Speedway in September. The crown jewel of his breakout year
would be the Bill France Triple Crown Award he picked up. The
prestigious award is given to the driver who earns the most points during
a grueling, nine-day stretch that includes three races from September
1-9. The Toledo Speedway (.5 mile oval), the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
(one-mile dirt oval) and the Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-mile D-shaped
oval) are the tracks that comprise this mini schedule. This complete
examination of several racing disciplines makes this an exemplary award.

As the 2007 race season beckons the 21-year-old Bjorklund will set out to
conquer another racing endeavor. MRD Motorsports will field the No. 8
Chevrolet Silverado for the Haas Racing development driver during his
partial schedule. Crew chief Steve Genenbacher brings a plethora of
experience and should serve as a great mentor to the young Bjorklund.
Having aligned himself with such an outstanding team, the sky is the
limit for Bjorklund.